Hair is subjected to a wide variety of severe stress, for example as a result of environmental influences, such as UV irradiation or weathering, mechanical stresses, such as combing, or various hair treatments, such as washing, drying with hot air, bleaching, coloring, perming, etc., which can lead to hair damage. Said damage includes e.g. dryness, reduced elasticity, brittleness, split ends, dullness, matte appearance, reduced fullness, rough surface and reduced mechanical strength. This leads to impaired combability, reduced shine, increased electrostatic charging and tendency to break. The hair wearer feels uneasy.
There is therefore a need for hair cosmetic compositions with a complex profile of properties which counteract the negative effects of stressed hair in as diverse a manner as possible. They should be characterized by good conditioning, care, protective and hair-damage repairing properties. Also of importance is good formulatability of the components used, which must be characterized by high compatibility. Moreover, the finished products should have good application properties. These often include e.g. a good thickening effect, the intention being to use additional thickeners to the lowest possible extent.
Moreover, the consumer nowadays often prefers “green” products, for the manufacture of which as many components of “natural” origin as possible are used, and components with an environmental impact are to be dispensed with. The expectations of many consumers, especially in Europe, of a natural product also comprises that in the case of the raw materials, the use of genetically modified components should be dispensed with as far as possible.
Conditioners known from the prior art often comprise cationic surfactants and/or cationic hair polymers. These attach to the hair and lead to an improvement in combability and shine of the hair, the polymers, at the same time, often improving the consistency of these preparations. Although cationic surfactants, such as e.g. cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) or bephenyl trimethylammonium chloride (BTAC), generally have good conditioning properties, on account of their poor biodegradability, they are not consistent with use in a “natural” hair conditioner. Moreover, cationic surfactants and polymers, depending on the composition of the overall formulation in which they are used, also have some disadvantages under certain circumstances. For example, the sensory behavior of such conditioners on the hair is in some cases in need of improvement, which can become noticeable from a coated, slippery, but also sometimes harsh, somewhat sticky feel to the touch.
Furthermore, silicone oils and/or hair polymers containing silicone groups are often used in conditioning hair cosmetic compositions. The desired effects when using silicone are e.g. the generation of shine, improvement in the combability or the enclosure of split ends or other kind of hair damage (especially in repair shampoos). However, due to various properties, the use of silicones in a “natural” hair conditioner is undesired. For example, hair damage is often merely concealed by silicone-containing conditioners and not permanently repaired. The actual condition of the hair under the silicone is no longer evident, and targeted compensating care becomes difficult. Moreover, especially water-insoluble silicones have a tendency to “build-up” on the hair, and the hair becomes heavy and lifeless. Under the silicone layer, the hair can dry out unnoticed, which can lead to increased split ends and hair breakage.
Conditioning hair cosmetic compositions are therefore sought, for the manufacture of which the use of cationic surfactants and/or silicone compounds can be reduced or avoided.
EP 0 983 041 A1 describes an aqueous carrier system for water-insoluble materials which comprises at least one phospholipid which is capable of forming vesicles, at least one amphoteric surfactant and at least one non-ionic surfactant.
EP 1 183 008 A1 has a disclosure content comparable to that of EP 0 983 041 A1.
EP 1 430 870 A2 describes a hair cosmetic composition which comprises at least one lecithin, at least one amphoteric surfactant, at least one non-ionic surfactant, at least one film forming polymer and at least one cationic polymer.
EP 1 146 854 B1 describes a composition which comprises at least one organic phospholipid which is capable of forming vesicles, at least one amphoteric surfactant and at least one non-ionic surfactant. It can be used as dosage form for waxes, water-insoluble polymers, resins and lattices.
DE 102006035040 A1 describes an active ingredient combinations of a) one or more active ingredients from the group of ascorbic acid and of ascorbyl compounds and b) mixtures of a C12-C16-alcohol, hydrogenated lecithin and palmitic acid.
WO 2007/124864 describes a dispersion which comprises water, a lipophilic phase and an emulsifier, the emulsifier comprising at least one acyl glutamate. Merely optionally the dispersion can additionally also comprise a phospholipid. A use of these dispersions in a hair cosmetic composition, specifically a hair conditioner, is not described.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved composition for conditioning hair treatment compositions. The composition should be suitable for covering a complex spectrum of requirements, as described at the start. In particular, it is desired to provide hair conditioners regarded by the consumer as being “natural”, which have good conditioning properties, are comparable with conditioners based on cationic surfactants and/or silicone compounds known from the prior art.